Amen for architecture: Crystal Cathedral changes holy hands

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At the holy intersection of business, commerce, art and religion lies the landmark Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove's nationally-known Protestant church now owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.

In a case of dollars over doctrine, escrow closed on the $57.5 million court-ordered sale Friday, following Crystal Cathedral Ministry’s filing for Chapter 11 in 2010 in light of a $60 million debt.

The formal title transfer is complete, but a Catholic congregation will not be relocating to their new real estate right away. Under the terms of the purchase agreement the Crystal Cathedral Ministries -- named for the building that is neither made of crystal nor technically a cathedral -- is allowed to worship for three more years.

The ministry will be "leasing it back from the Diocese for $100,000 per month for the first year, and $150,000 per month for the next two years," explains OC Metro, at which point a few architectural changes are expected to make the property "appropriate for the Catholic liturgy."